We knew that we wanted comfy bar stools suitable for substantial adults. We wanted swivel, we wanted sturdy, comfortable bar stools with backs. We wanted both seat and backs to be upholstered.

We selected the Trica Swirl. We're only starting to use the kitchen, but so far the bar stools are great. But they are pricey.

We have a bar and my mother in law has a huge island with seating. We have no swivel, backed, no arms for ours. They are a pain to pull in and out for seating, but they are a leather or perhaps leatherette(we didn't purchase them-we bought my mother in laws house, so she left them). Easy to keep clean. I wish they swiveled.
She has Cantoni's Nova Swivel Barstools. They are NOT cheap and most people (myslef included) would not pay that money(my budget for 4 stools is under the price of one of those), but they are AWESOME. Super comfortable, adjust height she has microsuede and they clean up SO easily-even after her 2 granddaughters have spilled grape juice and such on them.
In GENERAL-if you want them used, get backed, no arms. Arms also butt against each other and can and probably will hit the counter/each other. I'd also have swivel if I had the choice. So much easier to get in and out of.

I got a couple of counter height chairs at a bargain to try out. I wanted to see if a counter height table would work for us in our kitchen. I didn't like the seat being wood. It hurt my thighs every time I got off. The edge was squared off and my full weight would be on that edge until my feet touched the ground to bear my weight. If the edge is very rounded it probably wouldn't be a problem. I wanted to pass this bit of information along.

The staggering array of gorgeous stools available is enough to make your head spin with saliva spewing in every direction! I had to narrow down my criteria in order to simply things. I decided:

-no arms. They bang against the counter and make it more difficult to get in and out.

-backs. Rhome just pointed out to me that backless stools can tuck under the counter easier and be less bulky, but they are a must for my comfort. My kids are still very little, and I don't want to risk them falling over backwards.

-not wicker. See Editionk's current wicker stool thread.

-not height adjustable. No real need for that that I can see since my stools will only be used in one place. I wouldn't not buy an adjustable stool just because its adjustable, but I'm not looking for ones with this feature.

Decided I'm still open to wood seats because most of the time I'm attracted to the rest of the stool. If upholstered, it must be cleanable somehow.

I have dozens of stools saved as favorites on both the iPad and the PC. Stools, to me, make such a statement about your kitchen. They can help turn a white-Shakered, marbled, kitchen into a space that's traditional, modern, country, glam, vintage, etc. My cabs are going in tomorrow so I'm getting close to seeing my kitchen take shape. I'm going to wait to order stools until the major elements are installed. I just can't decide on stools now!

I pondered long and hard about this too. In the end, I purchased dark wood, with a back, leather seat, no arms, and are swivel chairs from Chair World... They were about $300 each (pricey for me), but I thought they would hold up.

I have two small kids.... Both of them love to swivel, and hit the edges of the back against the granite countertop. Now, after 2 months, the edges are definitely showing signs of distress.

I guess you should ask yourself...will anyone abuse these chairs? If you dont need swivel, dont go there. It costs more, and still..I dont even swivel....

that is my two cents...

Thanks

Good point on the swiveling chair BACKS possibly hitting the counter. If there are swivel abusers, perhaps steer against that.

I wouldn't like our stools unless they swiveled. Unless maybe you are getting lighter weight stool. I got the Montgomery stool from Ballard when they were on sale. They have a square shape padded leather seat. THey swivel, but it s "memory" swivel which means they just turn a bit and then come back to forward position right away, before the back hits the countertop. Actually our regular lightweigh kitchen chairs (also from Ballard) have more dings along the back just from being pulled into the table.

You might want to do a search on pinterest, overstock, ballard, frontgate, etc. I would have loved to do the draft stools or anything with arms, but was concerned it would knock into my marble countertops. I'm going with the barrel back counter stools from RH and putting felt on the feet.

I do love mine, and FWIW I would advise no swivel, no arms, high plush backs, and a comfy seat. We had to pay $200+ each, but for the last 60 days we agree it's been so worth it; ours are comf--ee (!). Not a great shot, but here's mine in situ, plus the link to the website:

Here is a link that might be useful: My Artefac stool

Bump. Could we please turn this into a Show Your Stools thread? Wait: Show Your Stools With Associated Where-I-Bought-This URL....

TIA

:)

I second that aliris19! I'm having such a hard time finding stools. I would even love to hear about web sites where people (Breezy!) are finding great options!

Steph2000: We don't have stools yet, but I've also heard that swivel are most funtional. My kids REALLY want swivel which makes me nervous. I've seen what they try to do when they get their hair cut and I hate to imagine my counters in the way of that. So if we go that option, I'm thinking it would have to be backless to avoid bangs. I like the look of wood and fabric, but most of the fabric ones seem too large for us. Stools that tuck under would work best in our space. But I agree with the comfort thing and having a back would be so much more comfortable. So, the hunt continues!!! Good luck!

I struggled too with stools - there were so many that I wanted but did not work practically for my family (2 small boys who would LOVE to launch themselves from a swivel stool) or that I could reasonably afford.

I wanted clean and somewhat modern, with a back, no swivel (see above) and armless to make it easy to slide in and out of, and practical to clean. Aesthetically, I wanted something lighter and that was bit different.

I wanted these in creamy, wonderful white leather from Design Within Reach, but they were $650/ea (sigh).

{{!gwi}}

I ended up with the Vapor stool from CB2 ($189) - they are super comfortable, easy to clean and indestructible. I have been really happy with them (friends of my sons have told their moms that we have glass chairs at our house....)

Here there are in situ -

Laura--good to know those are comfy as I've eyed them before. I just didn't think they could be. I like how they almost seem to disappear. Ah, its that they have a light visual weight instead of appearing heavy as some stools can. Those DWR stools are also on my list. Pricey though.... :-\

I'll try to post some of my saved faves later along with the sources, but I've got a busy day! DS's school conference, DD's music class, DH is out of town, and its DD's birthday. Oh yeah....and CAB INSTALL BEGINS TODAY!!!

I got the Vintage Toledo Barstool from Restoration Hardware. Just one, small kitchen. Since we bought it they have started offering it in steel and black in addition to the green color that I bought. They also raised the price.

Things I like about the stool -- swivels, adjustable height, love the looks of it in my kitchen-- definitely very industrial and retro looking. Not everyone's cup of tea. I find it comfortable and easy to move around though it is not lightweight. The green was perfect for my kitchen so I even chose the same color for my range.

The only thing I didn't like was that the wood seat developed a white haze. My DH sanded and refinished with waterlox and now it is beautiful -- better than the original.

I would buy another -- if I had room for it.

Wow. So much eye candy. Thanks so much, everyone, for chiming in.

I'm going to try to dig through my 14 million saved files and find the few I saved from earlier GW conversations on stools and add those to these thread.

It's so interesting hearing the pros and cons for the various options here. There seems to be a strong consensus against arms!

It seems like so much is available on-line I can't get locally. The selection seems far better. Too bad it's not possible to sit on them all first... and shipping to Alaska is no joke.

They'll call me the stool lady before this is done. lol

We opted for backs with no arms and no swivel. We have a soft variety of soapstone and knew we did not want the high backs to hit the counter. We have wood floors and use felt pads on the stool feet. So far (3 years) no floor issues, however, the felt pads tend to attract pet hair. They were purchased from Ebay and were very cheap.

I'm chiming in with some fun stools. My files are slim but here's some to offer up.

If you want backless and have a lot of money, these are so amazing...

Mecox Barley Twist

If you like industrial, and again, don't want backs, I love these from Crate and Barrel. The fact that they are are adjustable just makes them that much better. Turner 24" and 30":

Not cheap, as nothing is from Frontgate, but these Lancaster stools are neat if you don't want swivel but do want backs;

Depending on which way I go, the stools could be a fun way to infuse color and at $199 for a pair, Walmart has a ton of choices. They had a lot of options, including red, tufted parsons in various colors/leathers and neat patterns, including a reddish swirl. I just picked 2 to copy.

Squares Print:

And a Razz Print:

I ended up with these leather stools from Overstock. I found them through another gardenweb poster. They are super comfortable and easy to keep clean.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cosmopolitan Bar Stools

Here are our stools. Why the island looks blue and not green in this picture is a tribute to my photographic abilities and the limitations of a blackberry, but at least you get the idea of the stools. They are custom stain and fabric, they swivel and they are comfortable, and IMO, unique.

OMG! SAS I need to know what those stools are! They are perfect if I got them custom stained darker or maybe even painted black. But the style is just what I've been looking for!

Steph 2000: we have the Turner stools:

I will admit that stools with back are more comfortable, but I like that these can be tucked under. Also the adjustable height is pretty handy.

I'm currently drooling over these west elm stools. They are very comfortable:

Here is a link that might be useful: west elm stool

I just ordered this stool from pottery barn, and made my own slipcover (since their's is a total rip off). Cost me 8 bucks for my own material. The beauty is that it can be removed and washed. The stool is really comfortable (nice upholstered seat), and I don't miss the back, really. I'm going to put some thin vinyl under the slipcover as added protection.

Here is a link that might be useful: PB Napa Stool

PPS7, I could love those West Elm stools. Thanks for posting the link!

Your current stools are also on my list. It's a very long list, unfortunately!

I love the lab stools. I wonder what happened to all those thousands of stools when they renovated my lab recently???

PPS7--Those stools are on my list, too. I really like them. You said that you know they are comfortable so I assume you've sat in them. Have you? I'd love to know as would like to strongly consider them, but want comfy. Also, completely OT, can you tell me about your pulls? They look like RH Aubrey, but I can't tell. I love seeing pics of your kitchen. Everything seems so right with it every time I see it. Lovely.

Sorry for the hijack, Steph!

Controlfreakecs, the stools are from Saloom. You can get them from any furniture store that carries the Saloom line. For custom stools, they were extremely reasonable, too.

I had good luck buying barstools from the website allbarstools.com. You can search by different types.

I just purchased the American Heritage Taylor Stool in White. It arrived in two days and seems very solid. I like the swivel seat. Backless is no problem because it is just for casual seating at the island, not for dining. Funny thing is, the "American Heritage" company makes their stools in China.

I'll be painting it F&B "radicchio to contrast with my white kitchen and will post pictures when I'm done.

Here is a link that might be useful: bar stools online

Breezygirl, I pondered the West Elm stools overnight and they've moved to the top of my list. I couldn't decide between metal and wood - why didn't I think of a combination of the two? I hope they are comfortable.

I also love PPS7's kitchen. My husband has few opinions in this whole process (good because I get to choose everything, bad because I have to choose everything!), but he says a wall color similar to that would make him happy.

I love those West Elm stools too! They are gorgeous - modern and organic all at once.

Thank you SAS!

Thanks Steph2000, for posing this question. Not only have you distracted me from getting to work on finalizing my layout, but you seem to be helping others find their one true love. Have you found a stool you like?

BTW, I'm not buying that stools have to swivel to function or that they will mark up the floors. We all sit in non-swivel chairs every time we sit down to eat so we know we are capable of pushing them in and out. My current dining chairs and stools have bottoms that protect the floors, and I imagine most quality stools do. It's something to look for while shopping, but you can also add protective bottoms to any chair.

I'm so glad people are finding stool inspiration or direction from the thread - and don't consider anything a hijack on a thread of mine. I'm totally enjoying the eye candy and contemplation of the options - and how fun to see the Turner stools in application here with pps7's kitchen. They are great - as are all these options.

I have to laugh, mpagmom, about your comment about distracting you from finalizing the layout. That's exactly what I need to get back to, though it seems I might be giving an island one more college try before I let go of that. Stools are fun, though, and this does feel a little productive at least... lol

I think I'm sold on swivel just because it would be nice to be able to be able to turn towards the DR or behind to the LR/entry - and I haven't ruled out putting a baby TV on the wall to the right. So many beautiful options without swivel, though...including that West Elm one (yum!)and the 'glass stool' the kids are raving about (how cute is that?).

I think I'm sold on not doing arms, but if the perfect one showed up with arms, I'd not complain. I'm not totally worried about the swing damaging the counter given it's just the 2 of us, though one of us is quite hard on things... dtchgrl's memory swivel seems intriguing. Maybe I can find something like that here in town to test out.

There's probably no way this thread can stay alive until I get to the point of actually purchasing stools (don't I wish I was that far along!) but I'd be pleased if ideas continued to pop up here and I'll contribute to that if I come across options.

I love my stools, but I know they are not for everyone. I actually bought them before I even started my kitchen. I finally got to move them in this weekend. I have 4, but I am afraid 4 would be too crowded, so just using 3 for now.

They do swivel.

I just had my floor stained, so I have carpet pads down under the feet right now.

breezygirl, I did sit on them in the store and I thought they were pretty comfortable. The only reason I haven't bought the west elm ones yet is that I'm concerned that there's alot of wood in my dining room which is right next to the island:

The pulls are the RH Augrey-Love them! Mpagmom, the wall color is BM gray wisp.

Here is a cheap version of my MIL's Cantoni stools:

pps7...this is COMPLETELY off topic. But I saw you used Gray Wisp in your kitchen. Your living/dining is a different color (just one or two?). Can you share this shade also? I know I've posted that our layout will be similar to yours kitchen-dining-living but I hadn't thought of painting different colors for different areas. I like that and didn't notice you had done that until just now! Gray Wisp is on my list (along with about 50 other colors! LOL!). Thanks!

In a total leap of faith we just bought 3 RH counter height Empire camelback stools in fog vintage velvet with a weathered wood finish. I wanted the dark wood, but since we will have two golden wicker club chairs in the adjacent living room DH vetoed in favour of a lighter finish. It's a leap of faith, because the fabric and stain are a custom finish and I have never been in my kitchen with cabinetry - we're building. I considered going armless but decided that real upholstered comfort, complete with handles to lean on (and lock our little ones in place) were paramount. I never considered swivel. The only reservation I have is that it seems like quite a masculine stool. But hopefully it off sets the more feminine details in the kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: RH Empire Camelback Stool

Bahacca, I was just at a friend's house this past Sunday and she had these very same stools. I will say that they were heftier than I thought they'd be given the price.

Very interesting discussion, I never gave much thought about stools before, but they are an important element of kitchen style.

Thank you for posting pictures illustrating the endless variety of stools, and their unique patterns and textures. While I'm partial to the wholesome simplicity of the more basic stools, the richer, more carved stools do pique my interest. One must keep comfort in mind, we can sit longer on a soft stool than a hard stool, greatly influencing how we utilize the kitchen.

Comfort is even more important for stools than they are for chairs; sitting position is more restricted on a stool.

Thanks for the follow-up, pps7. Its good to hear from someone who actually sat in those stools. I see your point about your kitchen and those stools being too much wood. I have trouble seeing any other stools in your space other than what you have now as they seem to go so well!

Side note, I took a road trip to the big city for lighting and hardware research. I picked up some Aubrey pulls in 3 different finishes as I've been eyeing them for a while. The polished nickel was my favorite so I held them up to my new cabs to show DH. He said they looked too simple, like we cheaped out at the end at bought cheap pulls at HD. Funny, cuz those things ain't cheap! I think once my marble goes in he'll see why I like them so much. Plus, the RH friends and family sale begins soon so the price will be better.

Hi All, I assume everyone has seen Rebekah Zaveloff post on island stools on Houzz (from a few months back). But I thought I'd post just in case you missed it. Lots of helpful advice.

Here is a link that might be useful: [Houzz on counter stools[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/bar-stools-what-style-what-finish-what-size-stsetivw-vs~327725)

Great article and eye candy in that Houzz link, francoise47. I hadn't seen it and thanks for sharing it. Personally, I'm swimming in options but directionless. I had another setback with the layout and might just have to post something a lot less complete than I had hoped it... I'm feeling in over my head layout-wise. Hopefully all this will get things percolating in the brain and help me when the time comes. In the meantime, I am totally enjoying the research and if nothing else, it's a nice distraction...

I agree with uroboros5 that comfort is important in a stool. At least in our application, I hope to really use the newfound counter seating in multi-functioning ways. That requires us (and guests) to want to hang out there.

girlville, those are great stools. Were you able to sit in them? You'll have to let us know how they are working for you once you have the chance to sit in them and enjoy the new house.

WRS - Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful stools. I like that they don't look like they would swivel somehow, but they do. They seem to really act as your color point for the room and the warm dark wood contrasts nicely with your white cabinets. They look so comfortable! Are they? (PS - your floors are amazing)

Ty, Steph. I actually designed the island to go with the stools. My husband has been opposed to them since the beginning. He did not want any stools on the island. He said no one would ever use them, especially him.

Well, just today as we were moving things into the kitchen, he sat on a stool to rest and said how comfortable the stools were. He actually said "This is really pretty nice, I think we might sit here to eat sometimes." Will wonders never cease, lol.

Thanks also for the comment on the floor. We are trying to get used to it. We really thought that was what we wanted, and then got nervous with the result.

We went in a different direction in that our stools are a little more modern than some, but we were also concerned about having too much wood:

babs711- Sorry I just saw your post.

The color in the dining/family room is BM natural cream which is very similar to edgecomb gray. We have since repainted the dining room/family room white. I wanted a greyish linen color which is what it looks like in other parts of the house but these 2 rooms face south and get alot of sun. The paint color turned beige and I just didn't like it. I'm liking the white. We've gotten a new rug in the dining room and new family room furniture. A work in progress for sure.